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'Black Mambas' out to save South Africa's rhinos from poachers

No Cry Mzimba points a spotlight into the African bush on the back of a moving Land Rover during a fence patrol on April 28. Mzimba forms part of the Black Mambas, an unarmed all female anti-poaching unit, specialising in surveillance, at Balule Nature Reserve in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

An old Land Rover used by the Black Mambas during anti-poaching night patrols. The Black Mambas are an unarmed all female anti-poaching unit, at Balule Nature Reserve in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Black Mambas No Cry Mzimba, left, Goodness Mhlanga and Thulisile Sibuyi after a foot patrol on April 28. The Black Mambas are an unarmed all female anti-poaching unit at Balule Nature Reserve, South Africa.

By Stephanie FindlaySpecial to the Star

Thu., April 30, 2015

BALULE NATURE RESERVE, SOUTH AFRICA — She’s on the hunt for poachers.

Looking mean in her camouflage outfit, No Cry Mzimba stands on the back of a moving Land Rover, pointing a spotlight into the thick bush. Overhead, an almost-full moon casts long shadows of acacia trees across the road.

On a cool night in April, this modern-day Diana is working to protect rhinos. “Most people think this job is only for men but now they can see women are doing it just as well,” says Mazimba, a hardy 21-year-old. “I want to save the rhinos, I want to save nature.”

Mzimba is one of 26 Black Mambas, an unarmed all-female team who patrol the Balule Nature Reserve, a 40,000-hectare private reserve that shares an unfenced border with the Kruger Park, South Africa’s largest park, home to the majority of the country’s rhinos.

The Black Mambas, named after a deadly venomous snake in the region, work as a kind of game ranger patrolling the reserve’s perimeter and clearing snares set by poachers. They are considered trailblazers for working in a male-dominated area of conservation.

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As the rhino poaching epidemic worsens in South Africa — last year a record 1,215 rhinos were killed for their horns, which are used in traditional Asian medicine — conservationists are looking for new solutions to save the animals.

Balule’s approach appears to be working. The reserve has lost just three rhinos in the past year.

In contrast with other parks and private land owners, who are relying on militarized options to combat poachers, including drones, those involved in the Black Mamba project say the women help address the issue at its root by employing people from the cash-strapped communities that would otherwise turn to poaching for money.

“That’s what we’re aiming for, changing the attitudes of the local people,” said Russell Baker, the 28-year-old manager of the Black Mambas. “The ladies do all sorts of roadblocks — searching vehicles for contraband goods — and they’re better at interacting with the public,” said Baker, speaking inside the head office decorated with baboon skulls and maps of the reserve.

Baker says the Black Mambas also raise public awareness about conservation by educating the people they stop at the roadblocks and those within their communities.

Now, Baker says the women are in high demand from other reserves in the region. “Everyone was laughing when they started the project but now they want the Black Mambas everywhere.”

In South Africa, women hold high-profile positions in conservation, ranging from Edna Molewa, the minister of environmental affairs, to Harriet Davies-Mostert, head of conservation at the Endangered Wildlife Trust, a non-profit organization. Still, the majority of game rangers are men, said Brian Reilly, nature conservation professor at the Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria.

The Black Mambas perform an important role, yet Reilly points out that in more dangerous areas of the country, namely the Mozambique border of the Kruger where the majority of poachers operate, they would need additional training.

“These guys are shooting at you, you’ve got to use equivalent force,” said Reilly, noting that many poachers are coming into parks carrying high-calibre rifles or fully automatic military weapons.

The Black Mambas focus instead on patrolling the fence line, keeping an eye out for any signs of poachers.

“The information they provide does sometimes lead to arrests by our armed units,” said Baker. “They report any evidence of incursions, for example a cut fence or tracks, and then our armed units will follow up. They are used as a visual deterrent.”

The women say that despite being unarmed they are a mighty force to be reckoned with — a testament to their dedication to conservation.

“If poachers mess with us there will be trouble,” says Collet Ngobeni, a 30-year-old wearing her hair in a pony tail and bubble gum pink nail polish. “You can’t mess with a Black Mamba,” says Ngobeni with a deep laugh.

“We are doing a good job, poachers aren’t getting inside because of us,” adds Mzimba, saying her lips are sealed when it comes to disclosing any information about rhinos on the reserve.

“Some people are telling information to get money,” she says, “but no one will be hearing a secret from any Black Mamba.”

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